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Chapter 5, Section 1
Political
Parties and
What They Do
A political party is a group of
people that try to control
government by winning
elections and holding public
offices.
The United States’ two major
parties are the Republicans and the
Democrats.
Political parties are essentials to
democratic government.
Parties help link the people and
their wishes to government action.
Parties also help unify the people
by finding compromise among
contending views.
Political parties perform five
major functions:
First, they nominate, or name,
candidates to public office.
Parties present candidates to the
voters and then gather support
for them.
Second, parties inform the people
and inspire them to participate in
public affairs.
Third, political parties help ensure
that their candidates and
officeholders are qualified and of
character.
Fourth, political parties have
some governing responsibilities.
Congress and State legislatures
are organized along party lines.
They conduct much of their
business based on partisanship,
or firm allegiance to a political
party.
Fifth, parties act as watchdogs
over the conduct of government.
The party out of power keeps an
especially close eye on the policies
and behavior of the party in power,
or the party that controls the
executive branch of each national
or State government.
The table above organizes the five
functions of political parties in
United States Government.